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Stephen Gallacher to captain European Junior Ryder Cup team

detlef32 — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 16:09:47 +0000

Stephen Gallacher is been selected to captain Europe at the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup, while Ryder Cup Europe and the European Golf Association have also confirmed the selection process for the European junior team.

The Scot, a four-time DP World Tour winner, was part of the European team that retained the Ryder Cup in 2014, winning 16.5-11.5 at Gleneagles.

Six boys and six girls will take on the USA in Rome from September 26-28, 2023, with the first two days of the Junior Ryder Cup being played at Golf Nazionale before the singles matches are held at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, the Ryder Cup venue, on the eve of the 44th edition of the biennial contest between Europe and the United States.

Three boys and three girls will earn a place on the European Junior Ryder Cup team through a season-long ranking system, which has been organised by the European Golf Association, while the remaining six players will be selected by Gallacher, the European Junior Ryder Cup Captain.

Gallacher set up his own foundation to help and encourage junior golfers in Scotland and he will now lead the European junior team in Rome as he continues to inspire the next generation of golfers.

“I am absolutely delighted to be named Junior European Ryder Cup Captain for 2023,” said Gallacher. “It’s a privilege to be able to lead a team of the best juniors in Europe against America in Rome. “Playing the final day at Marco Simone will be a fantastic experience for our players who get the opportunity to compete in front of Ryder Cup crowds on the Ryder Cup course for the first time.”

He added: “I’m really looking forward to getting to some events during the year and working with the most exciting future talent in Europe.”

Players will earn points for the Rankings based on their finishing position in selected elite amateur events in 2023 and these points will be allocated using the World Amateur Golf Ranking system. The qualification process will end following The R&A Girls’ and Boys’ Amateur Championships on August 20, 2023.

Boys and girls who are citizens of a European country as defined by the International Golf Federation’s Nationality Policy, under 18 years of age on January 1, 2023, and who are not enrolled to play college golf in USA during 2023 are eligible to participate in the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup.

The 2021 Junior Ryder Cup was postponed due to the pandemic, although the US team that had been selected played an exhibition match at Whistling Straits.

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2024 Presidents Cup: Mike Weir named international team captain for event at Royal Montreal

detlef32 — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 02:10:06 +0000

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From one Masters champion to another. Mike Weir was named the International team captain for the 2024 Presidents Cup, which will be played at Royal Montreal Golf Club in his home country of Canada. Weir, the 2003 Masters champ, takes over for Trevor Immelman, the 2008 champion.

Weir served as an assistant captain on Immelman’s International team that just lost to the United States team at Quail Hollow (Charlotte, N.C.) 17.5-12.5. It was his third consecutive stint as an assistant captain.

“Presidents Cup has become such a big part of my career, so to be here in this moment announced as captain of the 2024 International Team is surreal,” said Weir in a statement. “When I look back, I have so many incredible memories associated with this event whether it be my debut in 2000; winning my Singles match against Tiger in 2007 at Royal Montreal; witnessing Ernie create the shield in 2019; and then seeing Trevor carry that momentum in 2022. Now as I look with anticipation toward 2024, I couldn’t be more excited to lead the International Team into my home country of Canada for what will surely be the experience of a lifetime.”

Weir, who played in five Presidents Cups, succeeds Immelman and Ernie Els as the International team tries to turn the tide on an event that has not gone in their favor over the years. Overall, the International team is 1-12-1 against the United States.

There was some chatter that Immelman might get another shot after a terrific captaincy in 2022 in which his roster was depleted on account of LIV. Perhaps he will in the future, but Weir was an obvious candidate given that he was the first Canadian to ever compete in this event and played in it the first time it went to Canada in 2007 (where he went 3-1-1 including a victory over Tiger Woods in singles).

That year’s event was also at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

“Captaining the team at this golf course is going to carve out an entire new piece of history in my career that can’t be replaced,” Weir added. “I have such a deep sense of pride bringing the team home knowing that in my opinion, the people of Canada are the most loyal and passionate sports fans in the world. We are hopeful to have a few Canadians on the team that will help muster up some of the loudest roars the event has ever heard.”

The U.S. captain for 2024 has not been named yet.

The next Presidents Cup in the United States will take place in 2026 at Medinah (Ill.) Country Club.

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Tiger Woods will team with son for 2022 PNC Championship as 15-time major winner adds to December schedule

detlef32 — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 18:39:38 +0000

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After playing just nine rounds over the first 11 months of 2022, Tiger Woods is poised to play seven more in the next three weeks. Woods has officially committed to play the PNC Championship Dec. 16-17 in Orlando with his son, Charlie. This marks the end of a three-week stretch in which Tiger will have played the Hero World Challenge (which his foundation hosts), The Match (alongside Rory McIlroy and against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas) and finally the PNC.

Tiger and Charlie finished second in 2021 at the PNC Championship behind John Daly and his son, John II, despite a scorching second nine from the Woods’ on the second day of the two-round event. It was an exhibition tournament that somehow turned into one of the most fun days of the golf year.

It’s true that Woods’ next seven rounds won’t be played with anything near the intensity of his last nine — four at the Masters, three at the PGA Championship and two at the Open Championship at St. Andrews — but it’s still a2 bit surprising to see Woods tee it up this often during golf’s quietest season. Each event makes sense in a vacuum, but on the whole it’s a lot of golf for somebody who is still recovering from a nearly severed leg in a car wreck at the beginning of 2021.

It should also be encouraging for those who want to see a lot of Woods in 2023. We will speculate about his schedule at a later date — perhaps after seeing how he looks in these three events — but it’s difficult to envision Woods, barring a setback, playing three exhibitions at the end of 2022 and then sitting out the biggest events of the competitive golf year in 2023. At the very least, Woods will very likely play in at least if not all four of the major championships.

That’s then, though, and this is now. In the dark of the (admittedly) short golf offseason, Tiger will be a massive draw and a ton of fun to watch, perhaps most of all at the PNC Championship. Because while seeing him at the Hero alongside Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler and at The Match with McIlroy, Thomas and Spieth will be great, watching his son emulate a dad (who is also the best to ever do it) at this event for the third year in a row will probably be the most joyful of them all.

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Jeddah joy for Noja after pipping Hull in Aramco Team Series play-off

detlef32 — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 18:03:28 +0000

The Aramco Team Series – Jeddah finished in dramatic fashion with both competitions ending in a playoff as Team Garcia and Chiara Noja claimed victory at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.

In the Individual, it was Germany’s Noja who triumphed after a sensational final round of 65 (-7) to finish level with leader at the start of the day Charley Hull. The teenager then made a birdie on the first play-off hole putting pressure on Hull, but she duly rolled in her birdie putt. And the duo headed back down to 18 for the second time, but this time it was 16-year-old Noja who rolled in her birdie putt to clinch her maiden LET title.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in quite yet! I think the stress and happiness will come later this evening,” said the teenager, who finished second on the LET Access Series Order of Merit in 2022. It is hard work over a lot of years, and a lot of commitment and just trying not to back out of shots and commit to everything that I do and not be afraid to fail.”

Noja started the day brightly with back-to-back birdies before sinking an eagle on the fourth hole, and she finished her front nine with a bogey in-between two birdies to make the turn in 31 (-5). Two further birdies on 11 and 12 put the German rising star in pole position before she finished her round with a birdie on 16 and bogey on 17.

“This course, when you can go into par-fives in two, it is a massive advantage,” she continued. “I tried to take advantage of that this week, and it paid off. I can’t even like begin to fathom what I’ve just done. I’m just going to try and relax tonight. Maybe have a burger, I don’t know, treat myself! Sleep. I think it’ll be the best night of sleep I’m probably ever going to get, and see how I feel tomorrow.”

Team Garcia, comprising South African duo Nicole Garcia and Casandra Alexander, alongside Czechia’s Tereza Melecka and Moroccan amateur Sonia Bayahya, won the team title in Jeddah

South Africa’s Nicole Garcia had a great final day with an eagle putt on 18 to finish in third place on 12-under-par, Italy’s Virginia Elena Carta was fourth just one shot further back. England’s Bronte Law and South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace finished T5 with Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall in seventh place, while Scotland’s Laura Beveridge, India’s Vani Kapoor and Slovenia’s Pia Babnik rounded out the top 10 on eight-under-par.

At the end of day two, Team Garcia and Team Wolf finished tied at the top of the leaderboard on 29-under-par each and both teams contested the playoff on Saturday afternoon. Team Garcia made up of South African duo Garcia and Casandra Alexander alongside Czechia’s Tereza Melecka and Moroccan amateur Sonia Bayahya chose Alexander to contest the playoff on 18.

For Team Wolf – the quartet of Austria’s Christine Wolf, Scotland’s Beveridge, Alexandra Swayne of the US Virgin Islands and Saudi amateur Raghdah Alessawi – it was the Captain who took the responsibility. The players went back down to 18 and Alexander managed to make the green in two, while Wolf chose to lay up and it was the South African who nailed her birdie putt for Team Garcia to win. And it is a second win in an Aramco Team Series event for each of the professionals with Garcia victorious in London earlier this year, Melecka in Sotogrande and Alexander in the inaugural Team event in 2020.

Speaking of her decision to elect her compatriot to play, Garcia said: “We’ve obviously had a few rounds together and we have known each other for a long time. Before we even knew we were in the playoff, we had spoken yesterday in the round and I said if we do get into a playoff, you know you’re in. It was already decided yesterday. It was a bit nerve-wracking but I kind of knew what I was going to have in from playing earlier,” said Alexander. “I went to the range and hit a couple and kind of had an idea what I was going to hit. I took a 7-iron and fluffed it a little bit. I still had a putt left-to-right, but a fluffed 7-iron was enough to get the job done.”

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4 Aces team win inaugural LIV Golf team title in Miami

detlef32 — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 11:19:02 +0000

Dustin Johnson’s 4 Aces quartet claimed victory as this year’s inaugural LIV Golf series concluded with a season-ending team event in Miami.

Twelve teams competed for a $50m (£45.2m) pot, with the winners getting $16m (£13.8m) to share equally between them.

Four teams made it through to the final day on Sunday when the 4 Aces finished on seven under and won by one shot.

Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez were the other members of the team.

Two-time major winner Johnson had already won the inaugural individual LIV Golf championship, receiving $18m (£16.2m) of prize money, going into the season finale.

The American clinched victory for his side with a short putt on the last hole as Team Punch, whose captain is Australia’s Cameron Smith, finished runners-up on six under.

The Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf series, which has offered a $25m purse at its previous tournaments, has caused deep division in the sport.

There are currently no world ranking points on offer for those that have chosen to join the series and LIV golfers have been banned from the PGA Tour.

Rumours around the event were that LIV is targeting four of the world’s top 15 golfers for the 2023 season.

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2022 LIV Golf in Miami leaderboard, scores: Dustin Johnson’s 4 Aces GC wins inaugural team championship

detlef32 — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 23:07:06 +0000

The first LIV Golf season wrapped Sunday at Trump National Doral with the 4 Aces GC claiming the 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship crown. Led by captain Dustin Johnson, the all-American squad of Talor Gooch, Patrick Reed and Pat Perez successfully fended off Cameron Smith’s Punch GC, translating a memorable regular season into an even more lucrative year.

After narrowly getting by Cleeks GC in the semifinals match-play portion of the team championship, the top team from the regular season was able to utilize a well-balanced approach to reach a cumulative score of 7 under. This total was enough to skirt past Punch GC by a single stroke and both the Crushers GC and Stinger GC with margin.

Despite the team championship turning into a two-team race, there were still plenty of pivotal moments unfolding late in the day. The marquee pairing of Johnson and Smith delivered theatrics as the Champion Golfer of the Year signed for the round of the day with a 7-under 65, and Johnson turned on the after burners by delivering down the stretch to come in with a 2-under 70.

While the two headmen for their respective squads were the final pair on the golf course, the battle between the two teams ultimately came down to their teammates. Smith’s teammates Matt Jones, Marc Leishman and Wade Ormsby collectively shot over par, while Johnson’s were more than able to hold their own.

Perez was their biggest question mark coming into the week but contributed in an impressive fashion for the 4 Aces with a 2-under 70 after a poor regular season.

“I get a lot of grief, people saying I never show up, so I did today,” said Perez, whose best individual finish was a T15 at LIV Boston. “So, everybody can shut up.”

Gooch added a 1-under 71 while Reed carded a 2-under 70 to give the 4 Aces four under-par rounds. Reed’s final stroke proved to hold the most importance as the former Masters champion connected from roughly 10 feet for birdie on his final hole to break the deadlock between the top two teams. A par from Johnson on the 18th hole then secured the team title for the 4 Aces.

With its victory at the 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship, the 4 Aces won a total of five times in its first season together. Raising the trophy at each event held in the United States, the checks will continue to roll in as their effort at Trump National Doral came with a $16 million payday ($4 million per player).

All members of the 4 Aces will be eating good, but especially Johnson as his on-course earnings adds up to roughly $35 million for the season. Finishing the year as the top individual and leading his team to the ultimate prize, the two-time major champion was the clear star of LIV Golf in 2022.

“It has been amazing,” said Johnson. “Obviously, the fans are what makes it. This week has been incredible. The whole season has just gotten better and better and then obviously this finale has been unbelievable. … Coming down the stretch here, you couldn’t draw it up any better with me and Cam [Smith] battling it out to win the team championship.”

The other teams won’t be left scraping their plates as Punch GC earned $8 million for finishing runner up with Smash GC collecting $6 million and Stinger GC taking home $4 million.

Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC were in the mix early and tied for the lead halfway through the round until collective disaster struck for the LIV Golf Jeddah winners. Koepka carded four bogeys over a six-hole stretch while his brother Chase Koepka signed for a pair of double bogeys and sent their name down the leaderboard.

Stinger GC was never in the fight as LIV Golf Portland winner Branden Grace signed for a quadruple-bogey seven in his third hole of the day and sealed the fate for the South African squad with an 8-over 80.

Here are all the scores from the final day of the 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship

1. 4 Aces GC (-7)

Dustin Johnson	70 (-2)
Patrick Reed	70 (-2)
Talor Gooch	71 (-1)
Pat Perez	70 (-2)

2. Punch GC (-6)

Cameron Smith	65 (-7)
Marc Leishman	74 (+2)
Matt Jones	70 (-2)
Wade Ormsby	73 (+1)

3. Smash GC (+4)

Brooks Koepka	74 (+2)
Jason Kokrak	68 (-4)
Peter Uihlein	75 (+3)
Chase Koepka	75 (+3)

4. Stinger GC (+10)

Player	Score
Louis Oosthuizen	71 (-1)
Charl Schwartzel	71 (-1)
Branden Grace	80 (+8)
Hennie Du Plessis	76 (+4)

We’ve got reaction and analysis to the Bermuda Butterfield Championship and LIV Miami. Follow and listen to The First Cut podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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2022 LIV Golf in Miami leaderboard, scores: Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith highlight Day 1 of Team Championship

detlef32 — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 23:18:25 +0000

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The 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami got underway on Friday at Trump National Doral. Featuring singles and foursomes matches, the bottom eight teams from the regular-season standings were pitted against each other in a new format during what is the last of LIV Golf’s eight events of its inaugural season.

With the top four teams looking on and enjoying byes into the semifinals, Friday’s quarterfinals were headlined by the singles match between the Hy Flyers’ Phil Mickelson and Punch GC’s Cameron Smith. The two major champions battled back and forth for most of the afternoon as Mickelson employed a bit of gamesmanship, slow playing the notoriously quick Smith around Trump National Doral.

While Mickelson and Smith’s bout went the distance, with the Australian proving victorious and securing an upset victory over the higher seeded Hy Flyers, the duel between Harold Varner III and Brooks Koepka was over in a blink of an eye. Despite winning at LIV Golf Jeddah, the four-time major champion was no match for Varner as the East Carolina product carded seven birdies and claimed a commanding 4 and 3 victory. Unfortunately for Varner, his teammates were of little assistance. Peter Uihlein knocked off James Piot 5 and 3, and the foursomes match fell the way of Koepka’s Smash GC, ultimately sending them to the semifinals.

Ian Poulter’s Majesticks and the Martin Kaymer-less Cleeks GC will also be making their way to tomorrow’s competition. The Majesticks laid it on the Iron Heads early and often as none of their three matches reached the 17th hole. It was a a much more stressful story for the Cleeks as late heroics from Laurie Canter were needed to skirt past Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC.

The competition now ramps up in the semifinals as the 4 Aces, Crushers, Fireballs and Stinger GC will be making their LIV Golf Team Championship debuts. With only one more day of match play, teams will need to continue to gel together before Sunday’s stroke play portion of the event.

Here are the scores from each of the quarterfinal matches in the 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship.

Smash GC (5): 2 | Niblicks (12): 1

Niblicks	Harold Varner III over Brooks Koepka	4 and 3
Smash	Peter Uihlein over James Piot	5 and 3
Smash	Jason Kokrak/Chase Koepka over Hudson Swafford/Turk Petit	2 and 1

Majesticks (6): 3 | Irons Heads (9): 0

Majesticks	Ian Poulter over Kevin Na	4 and 2
Majesticks	Lee Westwood over Sihwan Kim	4 and 3
Majesticks	Sam Horsfield/Henrik Stenson over Sadom Kaewkanjana/Phacara Khongwatmai	4 and 2

Cleeks (10): 2 | Torque (7): 1

Torque	Joaquin Niemann over Shergo Al Kurdi	5 and 3
Cleeks	Laurie Canter over Jediah Morgan	1 UP
Cleeks	Graeme McDowell/Richard Bland over Adrian Otaegui/Scott Vincent	2 UP

Punch (11): 2 | Hy Flyers (8): 1

Punch	Cameron Smith over Phil Mickelson	1 UP
Punch	Marc Leishman over Matthew Wolff	4 and 2
Hy Flyers	Bernd Wiesberger/Cameron Tringale over Matt Jones/Wade Ormsby	3 and 2

Semifinal matchups

4 Aces (1) vs Cleeks (10)	Dustin Johnson vs Shergo Al Kurdi	Patrick Reed vs Laurie Canter	Pat Perez/Talor Gooch vs Graeme McDowell/Richard Bland
Crushers (2) vs Stinger (4)	Bryson DeChambeau vs Louis Oosthuizen	Paul Casey vs Branden Grace	Charles Howell III/Anirban Lahiri vs Charl Schwartzel/Hennie Du Plessis
Fireballs (3) vs Punch (11)	Sergio Garcia vs Cameron Smith	Carlos Ortiz vs Marc Leishman	Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra/Abraham Ancer vs Matt Jones/Wade Ormsby
Smash (5) vs Majesticks (6)	Brooks Koepka vs Ian Poulter	Peter Uihlein vs Lee Westwood	Jason Kokrak/Chase Koepka vs Henrik Stenson/Sam Horsfield

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POULTER: “I’M READY TO QUALIFY FOR THE RYDER CUP TEAM”

detlef32 — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 12:12:35 +0000

Ian Poulter has insisted that he hopes to be able to compete in next year’s Ryder Cup in Rome despite having signed for LIV Golf.

Poulter, who has played in seven previous Ryder Cups and has 16 points to his name, is at the forefront of a legal challenge to the DP World Tour aimed at allowing LIV golfers to not only be able to qualify for the Ryder Cup, but continue to play in DP World Tour events across the world.

Poulter, speaking in Miami before the final LIV Golf event of 2022, which gets under way at Trump Doral on Friday, said: “We can still qualify for the team as far as I’m aware. Unless we’ve been told we can’t qualify, then I’m still ready to play as much as I possibly can and try and make that team.”

He added: “My commitment to the Ryder Cup has never been in doubt. I don’t think that should ever come into question. I’ve always wanted to play Ryder Cups and have played with as much passion as anyone else that I’ve ever seen play a Ryder Cup.”

One person who isn’t keen on Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood teeing it up in Rome is world no.1 Rory McIlroy, who said that he felt a sense of ‘betrayal’ from all those European players who have signed up to LIV Golf and still expected to be able to play in DP World Tour events and the Ryder Cup.

Speaking after his win at last weekend’s CJ Cup about his feelings towards former Ryder Cup teammates who have joined LIV Golf, McIlroy said: “This is the first time that I’ve felt a kind of sense of betrayal. You build bonds with these people through Ryder Cups and other things. Them knowing that what they are about to do is going to jeopardise them from being a part of that ever again. There was a great opportunity for GMac [Graeme McDowell] to maybe be the captain at Adare in 2027, while most of Sergio’s legacy is Ryder Cup-based, same with Poulter and Westwood.”

He added: “If people felt so aggrieved about some things. I’d rather be trying to make those changes from inside the walls than trying to go outside and be disruptive.”

A five-day hearing, presided over by Sport Resolutions UK, is take place in London in February when a final decision will be made on whether LIV Golf members can continue to participate in DP World Tour events where eligible, collect Ryder Cup qualification points and feature on the order of merit. This opens the door for the involvement of the players in question in the Race to Dubai finale in November, plus the Middle East swing in January next year.

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2022 LIV Golf in Miami: Team Championship schedule, field of players, prize money, purse, live stream online

detlef32 — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 18:28:46 +0000

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In the blink of an eye, the very first LIV Golf season is on the cusp of its conclusion. Finishing its inaugural campaign at Trump National Doral in Florida, this week’s 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami will take on a different shape than prior LIV Golf events. With individual titles wrapped up as Dustin Johnson finished atop the regular-season standings, the focus now shifts to the teams.

The LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami will take place over three days and feature everything from byes, singles matches, foursomes and stroke play as teams compete for the $50 million purse.

Johnson’s 4 Aces GC commands the No. 1 overall seed and has earned a bye in Friday’s quarterfinals. Teams seeded Nos. 2-4 — Crushers GC, Fireballs GC and Stinger GC — will also have the day off while those squads ranked Nos. 5-12 vie for a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.

Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka will lead his fifth-ranked Smash GC into the Team Championship following its victory at LIV Golf Jeddah. Koepka had his pick of the litter as the higher seeds chose the teams with whom they wish to match up against in the quarterfinals, and the same is true for the semifinals.

Captains from each team will match up against each other in a singles match. The remaining three members from each team will be split up between another singles match and a foursomes match. Whichever team earns two points will advance to the next day.

There is some strategy to this as Majesticks GC, in particular, has already renamed its captain. Typically reserved for Lee Westwood, it is instead European Ryder Cup stalwart Ian Poulter who will lead the Majesticks in the Team Championship and will be featured in a singles match. Other changes to teams include recent DP World Tour winner Adrian Otaegui joining Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC and Hennie du Plessis rejoining the South African squad Stinger GC.

The last day of competition will return to standard stroke play between the final four teams. Each player’s score will count for their team with the lowest cumulative squad being crowned the first LIV Golf team champion.

How to watch LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami

Event: LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami | Oct. 28-30
Start time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Trump National Doral — Doral, Florida
Live stream: LIVGolf.com, Facebook, YouTube

Quarterfinal matchups

Smash (5) vs Niblicks (12)	Brooks Koepka vs Harold Varner III	Peter Uihlein vs James Piot	Jason Kokrak/Chase Koepka vs Turk Petit/Hudson Swafford
Majesticks (6) vs Iron Heads (9)	Ian Poulter vs Kevin Na	Lee Westwood vs Sihwan Kim	Sam Horsfield/Henrik Stenson vs Phacara Khongwatmai/Sadom Kaewkanjana
Torque (7) vs Cleeks (10)	Joaquin Niemann vs Martin Kaymer	Jediah Morgan vs Laurie Canter	Adrian Otaegui/Scott VIncent vs Graeme McDowell/Richard Bland
Hy Flyers (8) vs Punch (11)	Phil Mickelson vs Cameron Smith	Matthew Wolff vs Marc Leishman	Bernd Wiesberger/Cameron Tringale vs Matt Jones/Wade Ormsby

Teams for LIV Golf Team Championship

1	4 Aces	Dustin Johnson	Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch, Pat Perez
2	Crushers	Bryson DeChambeau	Paul Casey, Charles Howell III, Anirban Lahiri
3	Fireballs	Sergio Garcia	Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra
4	Stinger	Louis Oosthuizen	Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Hennie du Plessis
5	Smash	Brooks Koepka	Jason Kokrak, Peter Uihlein, Chase Koepka
6	Majesticks	Ian Poulter	Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Sam Horsfield
7	Torque	Joaquin Niemann	Scott Vincent, Adrian Otaegui, Jediah Morgan
8	Hy Flyers	Phil Mickelson	Bernd Wiesberger, Matthew Wolff, Cameron Tringale
9	Iron Heads	Kevin Na	Sadom Kaewkanjana, Phacara Khongwatmai, Sihwan Kim
10	Cleeks	Martin Kaymer	Graeme McDowell, Laurie Canter, Richard Bland
11	Punch	Cameron Smith	Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Wade Ormsby
12	Niblicks	Bubba Watson (non-playing)	Harold Varner III, Hudson Swafford, James Piot, Turk Petit

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LUKE DONALD: “I’VE ONLY BEEN INVOLVED IN ONE LOSING RYDER CUP TEAM AND I DIDN’T LIKE IT”

detlef32 — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 13:09:50 +0000

With Henrik Stenson being stripped of the 2023 Ryder Cup captaincy following his switch to LIV Golf, it has fallen to Luke Donald to pick up the baton to lead Team Europe into battle in Rome. Here, the Hertfordshire-born 45-year-old lays out his thoughts on taking the captain’s reins at short notice, the on-going issues around team selection, and how he plans to win back the cup

I know it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, but how does it feel to be a second choice Ryder Cup captain?

I can’t pretend that I wasn’t disappointed when I wasn’t selected first time around in March, as I thought I was in with a decent chance, but I’m delighted, excited and extremely honoured to have been given the chance to lead the team into Rome in 2023.
Obviously, the circumstances around Henrik’s situation are well known, but it is what it is. Sometimes in life we’re given second chances, and I’m thoroughly looking forward to making the most of the one that I have been handed.
This is something I’ve always wanted to do, so when I was offered the chance, I grabbed it. I’ve had amazing experiences in Ryder Cups, and in many ways this [the captaincy] feels like a lifetime achievement award; a reward for everything I’ve done in my Ryder Cup career, so to be a part of it again is truly special.
I’ve been involved in six Ryder Cups – four in a playing capacity and two as a vice-captain – and I’ve learnt a lot along the way. Some of the best experiences of my career have been at Ryder Cups, so I’m excited. I’ve got 12 months ahead of me and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.

Given the shorter lead time that you will have as captain, what’s the most pressing thing to get sorted ahead of the next September’s matches?

I think we will have plenty of time to get everything in order. There are obviously some unknowns right now, but I’ll have to just deal with those as they come along. First and foremost, we needed to sort out the qualification criteria and we’ve done that now.

You’ve opted for six wildcards, with three automatic places from the world points list and three from the DP World Tour points list, as well as some changes to the points weighting behind some of the events. Are you confident that will give you the strongest team?

The changes to the qualification process follow in-depth analysis with the team at Ryder Cup Europe and I’m delighted that when we presented our thoughts to the Tournament Committee, they were 100% behind them. The revised overall process removes the need for points multipliers in the last few months of the qualifying period, and the six picks give me flexibility to ensure we have the strongest line-up at Marco Simone in terms of in-form players, players with Ryder Cup experience and potential pairings.
As far as the European Points List is concerned, modifying the points allocation will give an improved chance for DP World Tour members playing predominantly on the DP World Tour to make the Ryder Cup team through one of the now three spots available from that list. We have also moved the end of the qualification period forward to give the players the right amount of preparation time once they have made the team.
We are all focused on reclaiming the Ryder Cup in Rome next September and this qualification system gives us the best opportunity of doing just that.

What is your personal position as to whether those players who have gone to LIV Golf should be available for selection for the Ryder Cup team, either as players or vice-captains?

I’m not here really to talk about LIV Golf and whether they will be eligible or not. That remains to be seen, as there are legal appeals currently going on, but part of my role as captain is to create a strong and unified team, and I’ll be working on that as we build towards the matches. Hopefully, we’ll soon have some clarity on the situation [regarding LIV Golf players] and we can start making some decisions about the team when the picture becomes clearer.

Given that the American Ryder Cup team may lose a third of its 2021 winning team due to LIV Golf, how balanced do you think that the two teams might be in 2023?

Well, it’s hard to answer hypothetical questions. I think our top guys against their top guys match out pretty well, to be honest. I think there’s room for some great young players to show form over the next year, and I’m glad we do have a year to find those players. The Ryder Cup has always come down to fine margins, even when the final points tallies have been skewed one way or another. I know last year wasn’t that close judged by the end result, but it felt like the matches were a lot closer out on the course. Ryder Cups are always close, no matter where the players are in the rankings, and we’ll certainly be ready to take on whoever the US has in its team.

Did LIV Golf ever approach you to join their tour?

They have not approached me with a contract to play on the LIV Golf Series, but they did reach out to me very early on in the process about being a broadcast commentator, which I quickly said I wasn’t interested in. That’s all in the past and right now I want to keep moving forward. I’ve been gifted this opportunity to be Ryder Cup captain and this is my only goal, my only interest, over the next 14 months.

You played in last year’s Italian Open at Marco Simone, host venue for the 2023 Ryder Cup. What sort of a test do you think that course will present for the teams next September?

Yes, I played last year, and I’ll be playing again this year. I think it’s going to be an amazing golf course and an amazing venue. There are lots of great vantage points for crowds to watch the action. Obviously, I’ll be meeting with my vice captains and the Ryder Cup Committee over the next few weeks and thinking about how we can set up the course, but I think it’s going to be a great venue.

What do you think is going to be the hardest part of your job?

The hardest part for me will be to get these 12 guys into the team room in a very motivated, unified way. There are obviously some distractions going on, but there’s been lots of Ryder Cups where there have been issues for captains to deal with. We saw that last year with the pandemic and then in 2001 we had to deal with the fall-out from the terrorist attacks of 9/11. You know, these things happen, and we’ll just have to deal with them in the best possible way.

Having been at Whistling Straits as a vice-captain, how would you sum up the size of the task on your hands on a purely playing perspective to get that trophy back?

Well, I think the European Tour and the Ryder Cup Committee have a great template in place. We have had a lot of success over the years. We’ve won seven of the last ten, nine of the last 13, so last year’s defeat was very disappointing. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
It was the first time I was ever on a losing team and it’s not nice. But sometimes failure can really motivate you, and I certainly know that the players will be motivated to win back the cup, and I will be doing everything I can to get those guys in the right frame of mind to put us in a position to do that.
We had some things going against us last year, obviously COVID, and not having the travelling support that we usually do at an away match. So hopefully this time will be a little bit easier in terms of having great crowd support. I’m excited for it to be in Rome. The Italian fans are very passionate and I’m sure we’ll lots of fans travel from all over Europe.

You’ve obviously played most of your golf in recent seasons on the PGA Tour. How much of a challenge is it going to be to get to know these young guys that are going to be the new era for Europe, and how much time will you spend on the DP World Tour?

I certainly plan to be over in Europe more than I usually would do, and I’ll be meeting the guys and getting to know them better. I obviously know a lot of the players that have played in previous Ryder Cups, but it will be important for me to get over to Europe and catch up with these younger guys and really get them in the right frame of mind that this could be a new opportunity for a new generation to step up and make this team. I’ll be trying to really persuade them to be stepping up their schedules and playing some good golf.

Who are the younger players that you think might break through into the team next year?

I think there’s a lot of young talent out there. We’ve obviously got a lot of guys who played last year. We have some experienced players like Thomas Pieters, Thorbjørn Olesen, and some younger guys, like the Højgaard twins. Obviously, I would love Francesco [Molinari] to make that team. To be in Italy, that would be an amazing thing for himself and for me.

Do you feel like this could be a major changing of the guard in terms of how the European team looks going forward?

There are always shifts in the make-up of Ryder Cup teams, we saw that with the American side last year, and I think we’re probably going to see that with our team next year. I think that’s just a natural shift that happens in Ryder Cup teams.
We certainly had a lot of experience at Whistling Straits, but I’m sure those more experienced players still feel like they are capable of making the team. Then again, this is a great opportunity for the younger guys to qualify. So if I was a young European competing on the DP World Tour, I would be very excited about the opportunity to show how good I am and if what I’ve got is good enough to make the European Ryder Cup team.

Several past Ryder Cup captains have sought advice from managers and leading figures in other sports. I wonder whether Sarina Wiegman, manager of the Lionesses, might be on your ‘to-call list’ after England’s win in the Euros?

I was flying back from Detroit during the Euro finals, so I didn’t watch the match, but obviously we’re all extremely proud of what the Lionesses achieved. Any time I can talk to someone who is able to have such a success around a team is going to be worthwhile. I think you can see such comparisons between something like the Lionesses and the Ryder Cup. I’m sure I’ll be reaching out to many people who have had a lot of success in that team environment, one being Sarina.
The Lionesses made history, and they will inspire a generation. And that’s what really inspires me about the Ryder Cup – the chance to inspire future generations. I certainly remember a lot of my shots in Ryder Cups much more than I do in individual tournaments, because we are playing for something bigger than ourselves.

Your last Ryder Cup as a player was at Medinah in 2012. Is it a source of frustration that you haven’t been in the team as a player in recent years?

As an individual player, you always have aspirations of playing at the highest level, but my golf has not been as good as I would have liked the last few years. I’m 45 now, but I know that other players are still playing decent golf at that age, but just hasn’t been the case for me. If you had asked me after Medinah whether that would be my last Ryder Cup, I would have said you were crazy. That’s how fickle this game is. I still have aspirations of competing and doing well at the highest level, but

What’s your most abiding memory from the six Ryder Cups you’ve been involved in?

I’ve been fortunate to be a part of five winning teams, so the celebrations at the end are always fun. I got to play Oakland Hills last week for a corporate thing, and that was my first Ryder Cup in 2004. I remember the party in the Irish bar afterwards was pretty memorable.
From a personal playing standpoint, maybe the 7-iron I hit into the 17th at Medinah against Tiger and Steve Stricker when I was playing with Sergio. Maybe the bunker shot on 17 at Medinah, too, against Bubba Watson, and putting that first point on the board leading out Europe.

You’ve played and worked alongside six different Ryder Cup captains. What kind of captain will you be and who do you think of those past captain’s you’re most like?

Well, I enjoyed having my first Ryder Cup under Bernhard Langer in 2004. He certainly crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s. I felt like I always knew where I was with him. He was very detail orientated, and I think a lot of the players, including the rookies, were very motivated to play under him.
I suppose I’m somewhere between Langer and a José Maria Olazábal. I think I’m a detail-oriented person. I like to figure things out in my head without blurting them out. José was certainly more of a quiet leader, and I think that will be kind of my stance. That’s my nature. Between those two, I’m guessing I’ll be on the phone to both of them and getting some ideas for my captaincy.

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